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What helps you work long nights?

I've been trying to figure out how to get quality work done at home once I get home from my real job, where I'm in front of a computer all day. I usually go to the gym every day after work & by the time I get home, eat dinner, & take a shower its after 9:00 p.m.. Even if I can bring myself to sit in front of the computer again I'm half asleep.

What do you guys do to make it through late nights? Coffee, mini-thins, amphetemines? I personally drink coffee all day, so when I get home the last thing I want to do is start shoveling it down again, but I'm not sure if there are any other options.

Coffee does not keep me awake. I just hate leaving things undone so I'm driven to complete and/or prioritize. Music helps too but ultimately it's a love for what I do that keeps me going. Someone once said when you love what you do you will never work again.

I've learned that if I work more than ~10-11 hours in a day, I introduce more problems in those last few hours than I solve. So I've stopped working so late. You'd be surprised how little you actually get done (or worse, how much you work against yourself) the more you push yourself beyond the normal 8-hour workday. Just be sure to make your 8 hours as productive as possible

Vitamin B get a tablet of that into you and you will be fine.
Trust me, go get a bottle and have a go, executive strength Vit B take it when you feel tired. Vit B keeps your brain active with the right vitamin.

I don't know, nothing keeps me going at night when I get home. I work 12-13 hour shifts at the office, usually from 8am-8pm, sometimes until 9. By the time I get home, I barely have enough energy to eat a snack, check the mail, pay some bills, and hit the sack.

I can have a cup of coffee when I get home, that usually keeps me perked up until about 10 or 11, but after that wears off, my body basically shuts down to where I can't do anything else.

That is about where I'm at right now, I can hardly focus on the computer screen while I catch up on a few sites and emails

I'm with Vinnie here, there comes a point for me when it doesn't matter how much caffeine I shove in me...I just can't work efficiently. Make 8-10 hours a day really count, and then spend the remainder of your time relaxing, spending time with family, sleeping, etc.

Thanks for all of the replies. Sara I agree music is an essential component. I think the gym plays a major role in my exhaustion, but I need that. I normally do take a few days off from the gym, but that is usually the weekend. Unfortunately web development isn't my day job, so I can't get much done at that time. I'm going to try out some vitaman B to see if that can do the trick.

I think another solution may be to break down and buy a laptop. Somehow I think if I could sit on the couch or in bed and work it wouldnt' be quite as bad. I'm with you Marubozo, by the time I get back in front of a computer after 14-15 hours of going strong I'm mostly just a zombie, coffee or not. I'm going to experiment with some death metal, vitamin supplements, and a laptop.

I find that if I try to go to the gym before working at home, it doesn't go very well. I have to just skip the gym some nights and go straight home and get right to work. I make up for it with longer gym sessions on the weekends.